Nearly Impeccable
by Dire Moonstone
Summary: [spoilers?Vol.49][romance?][first timer]I wanted Shinichi and Aoko to meet, so...here you go!
1. Part I

Characters Copyright, Gosho Aoyama

It was more or less culminating. Everything was getting back on the right track; the syndicate was officially gone, Hondou Eisuke was almost out of Shinichi's hair, the FBI bid a farewell to Edogawa Conan, and the replica "Edogawa Conan" was to be no more, and in his place would soon be the authentic Kudo Shinichi.

"Conan" knew what he had to do before truly becoming Shinichi again. His first step was, of course, to fully wipe out Edogawa Conan from the picture.

"Yes, that's right!" He said, in his most cheery and the sweetly sugared of his still young child voice to Mouri Ran. "I'm going back home to my parents!" _Finally_, thought Mouri "Sleeping" Kogoro.

Ran gave him a sad, but slightly relieved, smile. She wiped a small tear that was about to fall down her cheek and nodded. He had already packed while Ran was at a spur-of-the-moment date with Suziki Sonoko and Hondou Eisuke at the mall, and Kogoro had been in a drink-induced slumber.

"Well, see you, I guess." Said Kogoro diffidently. Although he would never admit it, the old man had a soft spot for the little "leech". "Goodbye, Conan-kun." Ran said, squeezing the boy tightly, finally letting her tears go. He felt bad for deceiving her the whole time, but he knew it was what he had to do.

He boarded Agasa's car and waved goodbye. He sighed happily and fiddled through his pocket, remembering the conversation he had had with "Haibara Ai" that same morning in Agasa's house.

---

"_Drink with water, in privacy, mind you. You should feel a bit of pain-who am I fooling?- a **lot** of pain, and poof! You should be Kudo Shinichi, once more." "Hai, hai! I know, I know!" said an impatient Conan, "I've done it before, remember? Now give me, give me!" Haibara snickered at his reaction to the news of her breakthrough. "What?" he asked. "Nothing," she said, shrugging, and heading for the door, "One more thing; they'll want to know where 'Conan-kun' will disappeared to."_

---

He grinned as he took the case with the pill she had given him out of his pocket. _Almost there! Almost perfect!_ He thought excitedly, failing to notice that the car passed a young man who looked uncannily similar to him, the soon-to-be Kudo Shinichi.

_Let's see, let's see. _Thought the teenager, Kuroba Kaito, as he flipped through the newspaper. _I don't see it anywhere!_ The teen, now angered, threw the newspaper away. He had been looking through the paper about the recent thief he was planning for the following night, but instead, all he saw was a lot of jazz about some "Organization" and the FBI: things that seemed like they had nothing to do with Kaitou KID.

_What are you going to do? _He shrugged to himself. Even though the dreaded organization was gone, he still had to find that damned gem. Just because one organization was down, doesn't mean so are the others that are hiding in the darkness who possibly also knew about the Pandora Gem. He promised he'd find it. Regardless.

"Kaito!" said a voice from behind. It was his friend, Nakamori Aoko. "Where do you think you're going? This," she said pointing to the sign next to her, "is the place we said we were going to meet, remember?"

He looked down, "The '_Café Royal_?'" _I guess, if it will get my mind off of the paper, but why would this girl want to come to Tokyo, anyway? _He thought suspiciously, as he walked in with Aoko.

Finally, after a nerve wracking ride back to his own home, Conan jumped out, leaving his luggage in the car.

"_Arigatou_!" He yelled out, running to his door.

"But, Shinichi-kun, what about your bag?" Agasa called out, but got is answer in the form of the house door being slammed. "_Sayonara_, Conan-kun." He said quietly, as he put his car back into gear, and drove into his drive way.

Kudo ran, taking off his shoes, headed for the kitchen for a glass of water, and then to his old bedroom. _This is it,_ he thought, looking in the mirror, seeing Conan grinning back at him.

Slowly, (and dramatically, I might add) he took off the glasses and held his breath. "_Sayonara_, Edogawa Conan," he took a swig of water, and swallowed the pill, "and _konnichiwa_, Kudo Shinichi."

Before he could fall to the ground, he ran to the bed and got under the covers.

"_Sayonara_…" he said once more, sleepily, and prepared for the pain.


	2. Part II

Part II

Groaning, Shinichi opened his eyes and moved around underneath his sheets. It was almost dark, 18:22, when he came to.

"_Poof," she says! Ridiculous!_

He began dressing, still underneath the cover. He didn't want to look into the mirror until he was _officially_ Kudo Shinichi.

"Let's see her try doing _that_, for a change."

"I'm not completely clueless in this field, you know?" came a voice at the door.

"Haibara!" Yelled a mortified Shinichi, covering himself in blankets again, even though his pants were already on.

"Don't flatter yourself," said Haibara with a deadly glare, but her face quickly changed into a smirk as Kudo started buttoning up his shirt, "I just wanted to see the infamous Kudo Shinichi again."

"Actually," Shinichi said, now putting on his socks as his legs hung from the edge of the bed, "I don't believe we've ever met." He gave her a confused look.

_I see how it's going to be_, Ai thought. She bowed, as politely and as embarrassed as one can bow, and said, still looking down, "_Watashi wa Haibara Ai_."

She looked up into his eyes, waiting for a reply.

"Who?" He asked, still with an ignorant and clueless look on his face.

"_Baka_." Ai mumbled, as she rolled her eyes and turned to walk out the door, but stopped when she heard, "Nice to meet you…Ai-chan." She shook her head slightly blushing with a smile, and said, "_Baka_," once more, before leaving his room completely.

Kudo shook his head at his "new friend" and continued to fix himself up. He cautiously messed with his hair, pulled at the end of his sleeves, and sighed. He tried not to make it show that he was extremely excited about his body, but he just couldn't stop smiling.

"Well," he said, out of breath for what seemed like no reason, "this is it!"

He walked over to the mirror. "Perfect," he said grinning from ear to ear. He hadn't been this gleeful since that time at Tropical Land-_before_ this mess had started. "I have to tell Ran!" And with that, he took his old jacket, brushed it off, and ran out the door, not noticing a figure, glaring from the right of the doorway.

"Perfect…" whispered the slightly smaller Haibara Ai, smiling sadly.

Shinichi hadn't realized it, but he was running. When he did, however, he slowed to a jog and then stopped abruptly.

_Maybe I'm worried?_ He asked himself. _Did I really think this through? What **will** Ran say? What if she hates me? What if she acts as if I won't leave again? What if she acts as if I will leave…? _And, before he asked himself the last question he had on his list of uncertainties, as he looked toward the lucid view of the Mouri Detective Agency, he sighed, this time due to sadness (for the first time that day), and asked out loud, "What if…What if she doesn't love me anymore…?"

"What a horrible thought!" Interrupted a somewhat familiar voice coming from the teashop in front of him. He did a double take as he saw…"Ran?"

But the girl wasn't looking at him, she just looked at her friend, who had a familiar face, and said, "I know, for a fact, that one day my father will catch Kaitou KID and then you'll be sorry you ever doubted him!"

Shinichi laughed and shook his head a little. Inside, he sort of believed, and hoped, that the girl was addressing him. "I hope mine is just a horrible thought, too, Nee-san. For my sake, I hope you're right."

Instead of continuing to walk down the street, he walked into the _Café Royal_, checking the time, 18:42.

"_Konbanwa_!" Said a cheery waitress who had nametags, which read "Misaki" and "Trainee." She seemed about five years older than Shinichi and he figured she was going to college. He was in no mood to read further into her past, however, but couldn't help but notice her unusual dress and mannerism. She seemed normal enough; pigtails, bright, fake, red hair put up in two chaotic pigtails, a long sleeve shirt, underneath a collared shirt, underneath the restaurant's uniform vest. Her ensemble was completed with a pair of jeans stained with mud at the bottom that manifested her shoes, which were probably, at one point, white.

"Will you two be together?"

Shinichi cocked his head to the side and turned around.

"No, actually," answered the teenager Shinichi recognized as Hondou Eisuke.

"Actually, Misaki-san," Kudo said, still eying Eisuke, "I don't mind, if it's okay with you, friend." He then gave an unsettling, evil grin towards Ran's new friend.

Eisuke shook his head timidly, as they followed the greeter to a bench near the restroom. Shinichi couldn't help but smile, looking towards the door, as he remembered the time he nearly killed a guy he thought was the person Ran was meeting, only for him to find out someone was already dead. Meanwhile, Eisuke was nervously looking down at his hand while he wrung a napkin in between his hands.

When he messed with the napkin so much that it tore, causing the complimentary water placed in front of them to spill, Shinichi broke out of his daze, yelling at the fact that water had spilled on his shirt and down to his pants.

"_Gomen_!" Eisuke said, getting up in such a slapdash fashion that it shook the table, causing some more water to splash on Shinichi. Quickly he got some napkins from the end of the table and ran to dab a red Shinichi.

"I think I can handle that!" yelled Shinichi, resulting in a restaurant full of staring people. But Eisuke wouldn't stop, instead he kept apologizing and continued to cause more trouble by hitting Shinichi each time he pulled a napkin from the holder.

_Perfect! _Thought Shinichi bitterly, grabbing Eisuke by the wrists.

"Look," he said, clearly infuriated and regretful of his own outburst, though it came out calmly, albeit through clenched teeth, "please, sit down."

Eisuke obeyed

"Now breath in,"

Eisuke obeyed, yet again.

"and exhale."

For the fourth time that evening, Eisuke complied with Shinichi as if he were his elder, and should be well respected by all.

"Now," said Shinichi, after he, too followed the given instructions, "Let me start by introducing myself. I'm Kudo Shinichi." He bowed his head and pointed to Eisuke, as if this was the first time he had laid eyes on the other teen.

Hesitantly, but to some extent merrily, the other boy answered, "Hondou Eisuke!"

"No!" Shinichi yelled out, putting his hands out and shaking them before Eisuke could bow back. He remembered the first time he had really met Hondou-kun and had bowed to Mouri Kogoro and accidentally hit "Conan" on the head with his own.

Once again, the people in the coffee shop turned, this time in a more pissed-off manner than before.

"No," Shinichi said quietly, "no need, friend." The same bitterness remained with the word Kudo had used to address Eisuke earlier.

"_Friend!" Yeah, as if we're old acquaintances reuniting. _Then he thought again. _"Friend?" Wait…Oh, crap! Ran!_

He had only gone into the place as a temporary stall.

"_Ne_, what time is it?"

"_Nani_? Uh," Hondou looked at his watch, "18:12, why?"

"I have to go! _Ja-ne_, Hondou-kun!" Shinichi yelled out, running past an older couple, and the hostess that had greeted them earlier.

"Who…?" she asked Eisuke-kun when they saw Shinichi nearly run over a pair of businessmen just outside the café.

Hondou shrugged, sincerely unaware, and finally got a relaxed look at his menu.


	3. Part III

Part III

Elsewhere, whereas Shinichi was trying to get Eisuke off of him, Kaito was having his own troubles. He was now on the train back to Ekoda with a stubborn Aoko talking of the indecencies of Kaitou KID.

_What started her going with Kaitou KID? What?! _

---

_It was 16:00 when Kaito had promised Aoko that he would go to Tokyo to study. _

"_Well?" he asked, after the attendant had shown them to their tables._

"_Nani?" Aoko asked, taking her spot across form Kaito in the bench._

"'_Nani?'" Kaito mimicked, resting his head on his hand in a bored manner, "Explain! Why are we really here, in some diner I've never heard of, in Tokyo, nonetheless."_

"_Well," Aoko said, setting her menu aside, "guess what?"_

"_You've given in to Kaitou KID's charm?" he guessed, producing a rose between his index finger and thumb, "Hakuba-kun revealed himself as Kaitou KID? Oh, I know, Keibu finally figured out the truth-his own daughter was Kaitou KID?"_

"_Well if your not going to guess," said an unusually mellow Aoko, taking the rose, "Touchan might get a raise!"_

"_For what purpose?"_

"_What do you mean 'for what purpose'?" said a now defensive Aoko. _

"_This raise didn't just come out of nowhere, did it? Things usually don't come out of nowhere." He mentally kicked himself for that last statement._

"_NE, BUT KAITOU KID CAN? HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE, KAITO?"_

_When she felt eyes on her, Aoko sat back down, whispering what she just said angrily yelled at Kaito. _

_He smirked, "You know I was just kidding. Gomen nasi?" he asked, producing another rose that made Aoko turn crimson. _

_"It **is** because of Kaitou KID, actually." Aoko finally said, accepting the rose and started on the reason her father might get a raise._

---

He slapped his head and sighed while Aoko was still so preoccupied with listing reasons why Kaito KID shouldn't be spared.

"Reason number-_ne_, Kaito, where are you going?"

"Well, I figure, 'why not stop once I get back home?'" Kaito said, practically forced the door open, seconds before it stopped.

"I wonder why he didn't just wait a little longer?" Aoko shrugged to herself, stepping out to the platform.

It was Kaito-kun's turn to run. This time, instead, run _away_ from a girl.

_Why exactly** am** I running?_ Kaito finally thought to himself, coming to a halt. _It's not entirely my fault, you know. **She** started talking about Kaitou KID. Sure, I might have brought him up, kind of, but she wouldn't let it go. And, yeah, I did defend him/me. You'd think she actually had a thing…_

Instead of completing that thought, he stepped into his house, shaking his head at the mere assumption.

"_Tadaima!_" Kuroba-kun said, walking into his house, but got nothing in response.

_Where could…? _Kaito thought, until he saw a small note on the fridge.

"'Noticed we were lacking in some ingredients…be back soon!'" he read the note out loud. "Hmm…home alone? What should I do…?"

Kaito walked over in the hallway. Staring at a familiar view. He grinned an evil-like grin. His "Poker Face", it is more commonly known as.

"Might as well scope out…" he pushed in the framed portrait of his father, Kuroba Toichi, happily producing magical activities, and let himself escape into darkness.

In a mere moment later, Kuroba Kaito was nowhere to be found, and Kaitou KID stepped out of the shadows.

"…_the 'Paragon Moonstone.'"_


	4. Part IV

Part IV

It was 19:15 at the Mouri Detective Agency, and Mouri Ran couldn't help but to idly watch the television, while flipping through a magazine she picked up with Sonoko. The TV was droning on and on, about some poorly written "comedy" and the so called, "great reviews" it received. She couldn't help but yawn and roll her eyes at the show.

It was a long day for her. First she was dragged to the mall by Sonoko, then she helped her father get ready to go out, and then she got an unexpected, but well meaning, visit from her new friend, Hondou Eisuke. Her eyes were drooping and her vision of the TV was getting blurry, when there was a knock at the door.

_If it's Otousan_, thought Ran, checking the time; 19:22, _he should have the key…Then again, if it's** my** otousan._ "Coming," she said at last, going to the door.

On the other side, Shinichi was nervously thinking of what to tell her. _"Ran, I'm sorry, lets make up"? No, that's not right…"I've been lying to you for more than a year"? Yeah Kudo, that'll help you win her heart. What am I going to-_

"May I help-Shinichi…?" Ran asked, answering the door.

He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head, "Uh…Ta-da…?" So unsure of his introduction, he started wishing he were little again.

"Shinichi!" Ran shrieked, jumping to hug Shinichi, almost knocking him down. "_Gomen_," she said, loosening her grip, intensely blushing.

"Where…?" she asked, tears forming in her sparkling eyes.

He shrugged, staring intently in her eyes, "Doesn't matter now," he took her hands in his, "Let's talk," he finally finished, receiving a nod as a response.

_That went better than expected, _thought Kudo-kun, rather pleased with himself.

She let him to the couch, sat down on one side, awkwardly, while Shinichi sat on the other. He realized he was still holding her hand, and pulled away quickly with a cough. Ran started snickering.

"What's so funny?" asked Shinichi with a raised eyebrow.

"'Ta-da?' Honestly, Shinichi, you can be so lame at times!" She continued to giggle, and was a tad surprised when she saw Shinichi's face soften and heard him laugh with her.

"But seriously," Shinichi said, interrupting their laughter, "I really wanted to tell you-"

"THIS JUST IN!" yelled the TV, "IT IS 19:32 AND KATOU KID HAS JUST MADE A spontaneous VISIT TO THE BEIKA MUSEUM! THE INSPECTOR ON KID HEISTS, NAKAMORI, HAS THIS TO SAY. INSPECTOR?" The TV view panned to an irritated looking man with the title "_Nakamori-Keibu_" underneath his head.

"Yes, it seems like Kaitou KID decided to ruin such a perfect evening, without warning! Don't worry I will catch him! If it's the last thing I-"

An equally fuming Shinichi turned off the television, causing Ran to turn away and face him. _Damn that KID! _He thought, tightening his grip on the remote.

"As I was trying to say…Ran, I-"

The door suddenly opened, revealing two very drunk looking adults, heartily laughing away. _Not again?! Another interruption? You've got to be kidding me!_

It was Mouri Kogoro and Kisaki Eri, Ran's mother.

"Kisaki-san?" Shinichi asked, after a double take of the fact that two separated people just came back from a "not date."

"Oh," Eri managed to get out between sniggers, "Kudo-kun! It's nice to see you here." She looked at Kogoro, obviously re-opening a reference to an inside joke, and they both started their little uproar again.

_It's now or never._ "Ran I-"

"Otou-san?" Ran interrupted, sounding worried, but excited at the same time. "What are you two doing here?" she asked anxiously, looking at the time, 19:40.

"Eri decided to show me an interesting restaurant she goes to when she celebrates her," he coughed slightly, "victories, shall I say?"

Kisaki blushed lightly and laughed.

_Oh yeah, I remember Ran telling "Conan" about her trial coming to an end, and that, coincidentally, the defendant was" caught" by Mouri-san. In other words: me. _Thought a listless Shinichi, getting up from the couch.

"It was nice seeing you again, Mouri-san, Kisaki-san. _Mata ne_, Ran…"

"Oh, _hai_, Shinichi," said a distracted Ran, attempting to sober up her parents.

"Well, that was…" Shinichi told himself, walking away from the Detective Agency. He took one last look and said, "…perfect." before walking back home.


	5. Part V

Part V

Shinichi walked on, kicking a defenseless pebble, ramblingly about the unfortunate interruptions that kept him from admitting various things to Ran.

"Will this 'perfect' day ever end?!" he asked, sending the pebble flying in the distance.

"OW!" he heard a voice, that seemed familiar, yelp.

"_Gomen nasi_!" he said running towards the voice.

"_Ne_, is this pebble yours?" ask the girl who, not only had a familiar voice, but also a face he recognized. She sounded like someone he couldn't quite put his finger on, but she kind of looked like Ran. _No, it's the Nee-san from earlier! _

She grinned happily, as she rubbed her forehead, and held out the stone in between her fingers. "_Hai_," said a humiliated Shinichi, rubbing the back of his head, taking the rock back from her. "I'm deeply sorry for hitting you. If there's anything I could do…"

The girl got a good look at him and blinked. "Kaito?" she asked, albeit skeptically, letting her arm drop to the side, revealing a small gash.

"_Nee-san_!" Shinichi said, ignoring the name she mumbled, pointing to her eyebrow. "Eh?" She rubbed the spot, and looked at her finger with what little light there was. "Blood?!"

"Don't worry," Shinichi exclaimed, trying to calm her down, "my house is just a few more blocks away! If you don't mind going, you could clean it up?" He beamed as if he had just solved another crime, making the girl blush as she thought he also looked familiar. She nodded, looking down bashfully. "Come on, my house is just…" he led her, but noticed she wasn't looking up. "Something wrong? You mad? Listen, I'm really, incredibly sorry!"

She shook her head, "It's not that. It's just that…we haven't introduced ourselves yet." She looked up, for the first time since she noticed the similarity between the boy she had just met and the boy she's known since childhood.

Shinichi thought about it. He usually didn't let things like this pass through his mind, but since she was hurt, he didn't hesitate to try to help her.

"I guess your right!" He continued walking but still bowed, "Kudo Shinichi!" She couldn't help but giggle at the fact that he didn't stop, "Nakamori Aoko," she answered back.

_Nakamori? Isn't there a Nakamori who's always after Kaitou KID? _Shinichi opened his mouth, to ask if they were, in anyway, related, but decided against it. _Nah…She's probably heard that before. Besides, Nakamori-san lives in Ekoda. If they were related, why would she come from Ekoda to Tokyo in the middle of the week?_

"This is our stop," Shinichi said with a wink, stopping in from of a house. She smiled, "Nice neighborhood!" and returned the grin. Somehow, all the stress of telling Ran what had happened was gone, but Shinichi still couldn't forget about the fact that he hit a stranger and caused her to acquire a gash because he was acting out in spite, and invited her over to "clean it up."

_Maybe not the best idea…_

_This kid…_thought Aoko, eying Shinichi closely as she stepped through the front door,_ he looks so similar, but acts slightly differently than Kaito._

"Kudo-kun? You're back already? How did-" came a little girl's voice from the top of the staircase. "Oh," the little girl said, in clear sight, "hello…" she said uneasily. Aoko's eyes lit up. "Who's this? She's so cute! Is she your sister, Kudo-kun?"

Haibara gave him a glare. _You better not!_

"Actually," Shinichi said, returning a smirk. _It hadn't occurred to me, but since you brought it up…_ But, instead, he said, "She's kind of like a friend of the family. She lives next door."

Ai continued down the steps, eying, what seemed to be, Mouri-chan suspiciously. When she had reached the bottom, she realized that this was a different girl. "Hi! I am Nakamori Aoko! What's your name?" the stranger greeted Haibara, bending down to her eye level.

From the corner of her eye, Ai could see Shinichi. _Be nice, Haibara. _

She smiled, knowing fully well what he was thinking. _Of course, Kudo-kun. Is there any other version of me?_

"My name is Ai!" she said, in a creepy, singsong voice that sent a chill up Shinichi's back, but stole Aoko's heart.

"The restroom is up the stairs, first door to the left, Aoko-neesan, to wash up that cut of yours, and the band-aids should be in the medicine cabinet." She looked up at Shinichi, told him, "_Arigatou!_" and ran up the stairs.

"Oi, oi," Shinichi said, once he heard the bathroom door close, "what was-"

"Don't give me that, 'oi, oi'." Haibara countered, "Mouri-chan didn't take the news so well so you decided to literally knock another girl off her feet? I'm surprised of you, Kudo-kun. I knew you weren't good around women, but I didn't think you'd go so far as to beat one into accepting you."

"First of all, I accidentally hit her, secondly, I didn't get a chance to tell Ran, and thirdly, I hit her on the head in a mistake."

"You're first and third of all are the identical."

"And you? What are you still doing here?"

Haibara gave a puff, "I'll tell you about that later. Right now, you should tend to your patient, Nightingale."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh," Haibara said with a shrug, heading towards the staircase, "nothing at all!" She walked up the steps, passing Aoko on the way. "Nice meeting you, Aoko-neechan."

Once again, Aoko was swept away by how cute she was while Shinichi was feeling nauseated.


	6. Part VI

Part VI

_Dammit! What the hell am I suppose to do now? _Thought an aggravated Kaitou KID. It was 19:52 and raining, eliminating KID's chance of escaping through rooftop. What little light of the moon was now gone, covered by dark, ominous clouds. As of now, he was stuck in the elevator as a bellhop of sorts, escorting various officers of whom petrified him. But, like every good magician, he kept his poker face.

_Twenty minutes stuck in an elevator! Why don't they just let it go?! _He felt like screaming, "_Oi_! Kaitou KID is gone, why don't you leave, too?!" but he didn't want to point out the fact that an "employee" had stayed after hours.

"_Nakamori to all officers. Nakamori to all officers, please respond._" The radio on the officers screeched. The message continued to say that Kaitou KID was gone, and there were other assignments they had to work on. The officers sighed, saying such things as too bad, and it's too soon. Honestly, the officers felt these heists were the best part of the job, and with Nakamori-keibu, it was practically the only part of their job.

"So long, gentlemen, and I hope you enjoyed visiting the Beika Museum!" KID said through clenched teeth, attempting to maintain his forced grin. _Hurry up and leave, hurry up and leave, HURRY UP AND LEAVE, ALREADY!_

"You have a nice night, sir," one of them said, tipping their hat to the "bellhop."

Once they were out of view, KID sighed. He checked the time again. Only 20:00, but he was beat as a result of anxiety. Still within disguise, Kaitou KID casually walked out of the front door, magically making an umbrella appear. At least going through those floors had given him an idea of what he was dealing with. _If I had planned to go looking at the Paragon Moonstone, I should have stayed in Tokyo, instead of going home for a while, although, Aoko would've found it weird if I had taken a small suitcase to that café. _

Because he was lost in his thoughts and in the process of going back to Kaito, he failed to notice he had passed a house with the nameplate reading "Kudo."

"Oh no!" exclaimed Aoko, "it's raining. Oh, and look at the time! _Touchan_ must have been too busy with work!"

"Work?" asked Shinichi, setting a cup of tea in front of Aoko. After Aoko had descended down the stairs, Shinichi repeated to apologize and asked if she wanted something to eat. She said anything was fine, but Shinichi really didn't need to do anything. "It doesn't hurt that much," she told an unconvinced Shinichi.

He told her to sit down on the couch in the library. She marveled at the many books he had.

"With all these mystery books," Aoko kidded, "you must be a detective!" Shinichi laughed with her, although tentatively. "Yeah…" he said. _I **did** tell her the truth._

Honestly, all he knew how to make was tea and coffee, and it wasn't until Ran had taught "Conan," but he said he would bring drinks out soon. Aoko, however, soon got restless of waiting and decided to see what Shinichi was doing in the kitchen. Aoko was telling Shinichi that she did not, in fact, go to Teitan High School and instead went to Ekoda High. She continued to say that she was just happily wandering around Tokyo when a rock flew out of nowhere and hit her on the head, ruining her day.

She nudged him when he started blushing, wanting to apologize again, and said she was only kidding and he should forget about ever hitting Aoko. It was then that she looked out of the window, seeing the beads on the window.

"_Hai_," she said, still absently looking out of the window, "he's an inspector, but I'm sure you knew that already, _tantei_." She turned around and winked.

He laughed, still a bit nervously. _This girl seems nothing at all like Ran. She seems so random and a bit crazy…Maybe I kicked that stone too hard?_

"Smells good!" she said, taking a sip from the cup Shinichi handed her. "What about Ai-chan?!" she yelled, causing Shinichi to spill on tea on his shirt and pants.

Aoko rummaged through the cabinet, looking a towel and then tried to soak up the liquid. "_Gomen nasi_!" she yelled, completely dubious of the bright red color that was on Shinichi's face. "But I just couldn't help but think of that little girl!" she said, still dabbing at the stain on Shinichi. _Serious déjà vu_, he thought.

"What's going on in here?" asked Haibara, as if she was truly, childishly worried, although Shinichi could see a hint of a smirk. "What happened to Shinichi-niichan, Nakamori-neesan?"

_If I don't want to have nightmares, I better let Aoko-neesan leave quickly. Haibara is **too** good of an actress. _

"Ai-chan!" she said, ignoring the task that had consumed her so much. "I'm glad you're here! I was just wondering about you. What were you doing alone? Playing with toys or something?"

"I was just watching the news report about Katiou KID," Haibara responded, dropping the act ever so slightly. She soon realized this, and attempted to recover with a, "He's so dreamy!"

_Too late: I won't be able to sleep soundly tonight. _

"You shouldn't look up to a thief, Ai-chan," Aoko said, going down to Haibara's height, "despite how 'dreamy' you think he is!"

_Is she really worried about Haibara's opinions? She seems sort of motherly. I guess that's one thing, besides the face, that she and Ran have in common. _He thought, distractedly watching as Ai nodded and said she didn't want any tea. Aoko patted her head and told her it was getting late, and sent her up to bed. _What time **is** it?_ Shinichi thought, looking up at the wall clock. _20:36…_

"It is getting pretty late, and it stopped raining," Aoko said, almost to herself, to some extent, sadly, but she brightened up quickly, "Thank's a lot for the tea and the use of a first aid kit." She took one last gulp of her tea.

He walked her to the door, "I hope we get to see each other again!" she said, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Thank's again!" she yelled out, walking away from the Kudo residence.

Shinichi put his hand up to his cheek, a bit dumbfounded, and closed the door. He broke out of his trance when he heard an applause coming from the base of the stairway.

"Haibara…?"

She grinned maliciously, continuing to clap. "That was perfect, Shinichi-niichan!"


	7. Part VII

Part VII

"What are you doing there?" Shinichi asked the shrunken chemist.

Haibara frowned as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and he should've known. "Why, enjoying this perfect performance, by both you and the new addition."

He snarled at her disregard for the awkwardness she knew he felt. Shinichi shook his head, shutting his eyes and placing his fingers to his temples. He began pacing.

"Kudo-kun…?" came Haibara's voice with true heartfelt concern.

Shinichi hushed her, eyes still closed. "Please…" he let out a grave sigh, "I'm trying to think…"

_What just happened?_

_What just happened?! _Thought a frantic Aoko, walking away from the Kudo residence. _Okay, Aoko, just backtrack what just happened. Oh! What just happened?!_

Not even Aoko could believe what she had just done. _Why did Aoko do that? Let's see…People don't just kiss strangers…do they? No! _She shook her head. _Then, why? Let's try again, from the beginning. What an unfortunate and unlikely way to meet a person. Imagine, being hit by a rock! His kindness…His smile…His face…Kaito…_

She stopped walking, closed her eyes and, like Shinichi, she shook her head with a defeated sigh. A ring by her phone started her. She pulled it from her pocket. She saw the time, 20:44, and the number that belonged to her father. Aoko ignored this, however, and let it go to voicemail.

_He probably just wants to let me know it's time to go. _After that thought, she continued to walk towards the train station. She laughed bitterly. _What a fulfilling day._

Although diverse, every day must come to an end eventually.

And with that, we continue:

Part II of Part VII

8:05, Ekoda High.

Aoko sat on her desk, tapping her fingers tired of something. What had happened the evening before was still stuck in her mind. No matter how much she stressed over it the night before, she couldn't figure out what had driven her to do what she did. Sleepily, she put her head on her desk. _Won't someone comfort me?_

As if someone heard, a bouquet of flowers appeared, causing her to look up.

"What's wrong with you?" Kaito asked his friend with concern in his head but annoyance in his voice. He sat on the desk in front of her.

She sighed, "Kaito-kun…There's something that's been bugging Aoko."

Kaito frowned. _Since when does she call me "Kaito-kun?" There must really be a problem. _"Aoko," he said, making their eyes lock, "if there's something wrong, you can tell me."

Unfortunately, for Aoko, she didn't see Kaito. She saw the young man from the night before. She blushed furiously as she put her head in her hands. "_Gomen!_" she told a confused Kaito-kun.

8:05, Teitan High.

Shinichi was in the main office, completing paperwork. He wasn't paying attention as he signed line by line. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" Asked a voice malevolently.

Shinichi grimaced, "Sonoko-chan…" the voice snickered and Shinichi's view was restored.

"Does Ran know you're here, Shinichi-kun?" Sonoko asked, grinning evilly and placing her arm on Shinichi's shoulder. Behind her, Shinichi saw Eisuke waiting.

"Of course. What are you doing here?"

"Oh," she said, swatting her hands in self defense, "I was just passing by, when I saw the _meitantei_ Kudo Shinichi."

"Yeah, well, shouldn't you get to class? The bell rings in five minutes."

"Don't act so smug, Kudo Shinichi." She countered, "Considering how long you've been gone, you better make it up to Ran! Come on," She ordered, walking out with Eisuke.

"Nice meeting you again," Eisuke said, resulting in a confused Sonoko.

Shinichi sighed, getting back to the paperwork. After he turned in the forms, he hurried back to class, barely making it on time. He received glances from most of the students and an encouraging smile from Ran.

He took his usual seat in the back, and, as per tradition, took his usual uninterested manner by looking out the window, remembering the conversation he had with the meddlesome Haibara Ai.

---

_It was 21:00, exactly, and Kudo had finally stopped his movement. _

"_Well," he said, looking at Ai, who was practically asleep on the steps._

"_Well what?" she answered/asked._

"_Well why are you here?"_

_She raised an eyebrow, but smiled innocently. _

"_Well, it gets a little lonely for poor Ai-chan all alone, and so she came to Shinichi-niichan for reassurance. Did you notice that? She referred to herself in third-person." Ai let out a hollow laugh._

_Now Shinichi was a bit offended, which confused him. "Leave her alone," he defended, blushing ever so slightly, "Besides, how long have you been eavesdropping?"_

"_Long enough, Kudo-kun. Seriously, though, I came here because the professor had plans to leave and, besides, I needed to see how you were doing."_

_He sat next to her, shaking his head once more. "What am I going to do, Haibara? I've never met this girl, and she just ups and kisses me. Not only that, but she looks like the love of my life. What would you do?" he looked up at her. _

_She looked down, withdrawn, and for the first time in her life, she was wordless. _

"_Honestly, Kudo-kun? I don't know what I'd do. Don't take it too seriously, though. It was just a term of endearment. I'm sure she didn't mean little, if anything, significant about it."_

---

Shinichi sighed out loud, looking up at the board. As the teacher continued to talk drearily, Shinichi wrote notes that had no meaning. He continued to write until he saw something from the corner of his eye.

It was Ran smiling sweetly at him. He smiled back. "You okay?" she mouthed, worry on her face. "_Hai_," he mouthed back, continuing to smile weakly, "I'm fine."

She reluctantly nodded and turned back to the board.

"I'm fine," he said to himself, a bit more relaxed, continuing to scrawl on his paper.

8:05, Teitan Elementary.

"_Nan_i?!" Yoshida Ayumi cried, as if someone had lied to her just to see her cry. "You can't be serious, Ai-chan! Why would Conan just leave without telling anyone?"

_Dammit, Kudo-kun, _Haibara thought, _I told him to tie up any loose ends. _

"_Gomen_," she answered, resulting in a sobbing Ayumi. Haibara looked through her bag to take out paper when envelopes fell out. _What's this?_

"Are those for us?" Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko asked.

"They are, they are!" exclaimed Kojima Genta, picking up one from the desk.

Ayumi soon stopped weeping to pick up the card addressed to her.

"_Dearest friends of the Detective Boys, Sorry I couldn't say 'goodbye' in person, but I hope these make it up to you. Hope I see you again, Edogawa Conan" _Ai read over Ayumi's shoulder. Inside, along with the letter, were tickets to the upcoming football match.

"That was so sweet of Conan-kun!" Ayumi proclaimed, wiping away tears of joy.

_Ai smiled, looking at her own note, "_Hai_." _Good job, Kudo-kun. That was wonderful.


	8. Part VIII

Part VIII

"KAITOU KID-SAMA LEAVES NOTE" _Finally, _thought Kaito, in between first and second period, _they noticed it. _He was reading the newspaper he had failed to read before the school day had begun. He couldn't concentrate with Aoko just sitting there, helpless. However, it seemed she was doing much better, and she was out of his hair, talking to her friend, Momoi Keiko.

In the article was a sample of the riddle found at the Police Department. _Let's see them try to figure it out. If they don't, I'm sure tantei-kun will. It is in his hometown._

"Don't you ever get tired of those heists, Koroba-kun?"

Kaito turned from his paper to look at Koizumi Akako. "What are you talking about?" he asked, continuing to look at the paper.

"What's wrong with Nakamori-san? Surely you know."

Her comment caught Kaito off-guard. Akako was in her usual lean on Kuroba-kun, but she was looking towards Aoko. He looked in the direction she was looking at. _She did seem really tired earlier. She was apologizing for reasons unknown. They were unknown to me, at least. _

"You're lucky Hakuba-san isn't here."

"What makes you say that, Akako-san?" Kaito asked her, paying little notice.

"Not only would he be comforting Aoko," Kaito cringed, "but he'd be able to see right through your riddle."

Kaito rolled his eyes and returned to the paper, "I'm not KID!"

The witch ignored this, walking back to her seat, "Well, good luck capturing that perfect gem."

After school, Tokyo.

Sonoko decided to walk home with Eisuke instead of Ran, leaving the "Married Couple" to spend alone time together.

"I'm so glad you're back, Shinichi!" Ran whispered, hugging at his arm. He looked down, blushing. "I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you for long," she said louder, pulling away, but still holding on to him, to face him. "A lot happened since you were gone, and I think I'm making progress with my parents!"

"Really?" Questioned Shinichi as if it were news to him. _You call setting them on a date to get drunken together 'progress?'_

Ran continued to tell him about what had been going on recently; how Sonoko was doing, how Conan had been doing and how unfortunate it had been that he left before Shinichi came, about the new kid Hondou Eisuke, and about Haibara Ai, the girl who moved in with the professor.

"Oh, you mean the girl with short, light brown hair who's in grade one?"

"_Hai_," Ran looked up at him, puzzled, "You know her?"

"The Doc wanted me to take care of her while he went for a well needed vacation. She's staying over as we speak."

"That's wonderful!" Ran cried out, pulling him closer his arm again.

He turned, trying not to look at her, when a newsstand caught his eye.

"Eh?" he mumbled, coming to an abrupt stop.

"_Nani_?" Ran questioned, looking over to the headline as she was still clinging on to her best friend who was pulling her. "'KAITOU KID-SAMA LEAVES NOTE'?"

"One, _kudasai_," Shinichi asked, politely. "_Arigatou_," he said once the transaction was made between him and the employee.

"What does it say, Shinichi?" Ran asked, letting go of her grip. Without knowing, Shinichi ignored her, too focused on the article. "Shinichi?"

He grinned his infamous "I've solved it!" grin. "Shinichi?" she said, knowing that whatever was written in Kaitou KID's note, was solved by her friend.

"So, tell me, what does it say? What's his next target?" He looked at her, still with the grin plastered on his face.

"I have no idea," he answered, his grin substituted with a frown.

Ran sighed, "Tell me when you do, okay! I have karate practice so I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Ja ne," he said, turning the other direction with one hand in his pocket and the other one holding the paper up. _What does this second part of the riddle mean? I know the first part means tonight, the night of the full moon, and the gem he's after, but the second part probably give the location and the time he's planning to steal it. Come on, Kudo! This should be simple for you!_

"Home so soon, Kudo-kun?" a small girl questioned, as Shinichi walked through his door. "Wouldn't you rather spend time with Mori-chan?"

_Mori-chan?_ "_Ne_, Haibara, what did the alert on TV last night say about KID?"

"_Nani_?" She asked, not seeing where this was going, "It was saying how they spotted Kaitou KID-san at Beika Museum. Why do you ask?"

"Beika Museum…"Shinichi thought out loud. _That's it!_ "Do you have any homework, tonight?" he asked Ai.

"No," she said with a grin, "What are you planning, Shinichi-niichan?"

"How'd you like to accompany me in visiting my friend at his work, Ai-chan?"

_End Part VIII_


	9. Finale

Part IX

Finale

_Step…step…step…Keep in step…Breathe in…breathe out…Keep the pattern. _The thief, enveloped in an uncharacteristic red, thought as the he walked down a familiar hall. _Now… Where, oh, where was that Paragon Moonstone, again? _

The figure stopped, temporarily lost. He shut his eyes, thinking. _Hai…Floor three, third room on the left. What a perfect position. _He continued to walk, eyes still closed as to not loose his recollection of the place. _In a between the building, in between the hall._

He stopped again, opening his eyes, once more. _Something's…off…_By this time, our little friend, the Thief, was in the middle of the steps, in the middle of the first and third floor.

He looked up. _Nothing there…_

He looked down. _Nothing there, either…_

He shrugged and closed his eyes, continuing to walk up the steps.

_Third floor, but…I can't shake that feeling I had…_

"Is something wrong, Niichan?" a voice asked, startling the intruder. Despite this, the criminal maintained his poker face. He turned around, seeing a very young lady sitting down beside the entrance.

"Shouldn't you be home, little one?" he asked, bending down to get a better look at the girl. She seemed innocent enough; big green eyes, short, light brown hair.

"Tell me," the girl stated as the Thief began to harmlessly play with a deck of playing cards, "shouldn't you be home, too, Kaitou KID-san?"

Her eyes became more intense, looking at the face of KID, as a criticism.

He stopped juggling the cards and stood up, wary smile still on face. _Breathe in…breathe out…_

"Friend of _tantei_-kun?" The man asked, holding out his gloved hand for her. She took it, smiling with a sparkle in her eyes. _She knows something I don't. _

With one hand to her chest and the other still in the stranger's palm, she said, "Haibara Ai."

The man pulled away and took a step back. With the flip of his wrist, Haibara's red view turned white, and the thief revealed himself.

Shinichi looked at the time, grinning to himself. _Kaitou KID isn't one to come early. _He looked around, grinning all the more. _Good luck, Haibara. I hope you can hold on just a little longer._

It didn't take as long for Shinichi to convince the girl as it would've three months ago when he was still reduced in size. Ai had said she had nothing better to do, and, honestly, was a bit curious.

"Kudo-kun?" someone behind him asked.

"Aoko-neesan!" Shinichi said, turning around and ignoring the time and receiving a swift hug by the teenage girl.

"Who would have known I'd see you here?!" She said, bringing him closer.

"As a matter of fact, I was thinking the same thing!" he answered, oblivious that someone was watching.

"Yes, Kudo-kun, what _ever_ are you doing here?"

"Nakamori-keibu!" Shinichi said, letting go of Aoko. "I was just here to, you know."

The inspectors face didn't move an inch. He held that same look he had the first time Shinichi had interfered with a KID heist.

When Kudo realized Nakamori wanted him to elaborate, he then rubbed the back of his head uneasily and said, "I was just checking up on the larceny, just so both of you know." He smiled sweetly at Aoko.

"LARCENY?!" Nakamori-keibu yelled, causing every officer on the KID force to drop what he or she was doing.

_Kuso! That made him mad! _thought Shinichi, waving his hands in submission.

Before the inspector could rant on how there wasn't going to be a burglary as long as he was on the case, Aoko spoke up.

"I think he means the 'attempted larceny,' Tousan."

"I guess," Nakamori said, turning around.

Shinichi sighed with relief. Aoko started laughing at him.

"You should really know not to disrupt Touchan by admitting Kaitou KID will take the gem, Shinichi-kun."

"So what _are_ you doing here, Aoko-chan?" Shinichi asked. "I thought you said you weren't interested in Kaitou KID?"

Aoko's face turned from a sincere smile to a rather sad one.

"I needed to tell you something, Shinichi."

"LARCENY?!"

Ai and Kaitou KID suddenly heard Nakamori-san yell, causing them to jump.

"Long story short," Ai continued, as if she were narrating an exciting anecdote, "you should be careful when attempting to make off with the Paragon Moonstone."

"I'll do my best, Neechan," KID said, turning into the third room, "but one more

thing: Why help an illustrious thief such as myself?"

"'Illustrious?'" laughed Haibara, harshly, "Don't flatter yourself." She shrugged, walking towards the staircase, "Spite, perhaps."

"Or maybe," Kaito said, "because I can easily turn into the one that you hold dear."

Ai eyes widened and she turned around only to see a pink cloud encircle the podium that once held the Paragon Moonstone.

She laughed bitterly once more, and turned back to walk down the steps.

Atop the roof, Kaitou KID held the Paragon Moonstone up to the orb in the sky. He smiled, letting his poker face fade away in the shadows that he had once lurked.

"_Arigatou_, Haibara Ai. I hope you admit your true feelings for him."

"I understand completely," Shinichi beamed after Aoko explained that the kiss she gave him the night before was between two friends. Aoko had admitted that Shinichi looked like someone she wouldn't dare have the courage to actually give a kiss to.

She held out her hand, still blushing after acknowledging her crush on her childhood friend. "_Arigatou_, Kudo Shinichi."

He shook it only for a while, and pulled in his new friend for an embrace. She bowed, and walked out of the museum.

"Everything ready, Kudo-kun?" Haibara appeared next to him.

_I hope you admit your true feelings for him._ Shinichi thought sorrowfully.

"_Hai_," he said, watching as Aoko was greeted by a friend just outside the door, "everything is…perfect."


End file.
